I’ve seen a few Richard IIIs in my time. And whether it be Trevor Nunn’s trilogy at the Rose Theatre Kingston or a fringe production up in Edinburgh - I’ve always found myself wanting to leave at the interval. Until now.

Jessica Cheetham is the founder and Artistic Director of Spun Glass Theatre, their show STAMP was hugely successful at Vault Festival last year and is returning to Clapham Omnibus this February. Female Arts' Amie Taylor caught up with Jess to find out a little more of what she's been up to.

Over the past year there has been a public debate about the relevance of theatre to people in the UK today, especially for the disenfranchised and given the way the referendum turned out. On the evidence of LOVE, theatre is more relevant than it has ever been, across all stratum of society.

Henrik Ibsen's Hedda Gabler is not an 'easy' play. On the surface its central character exhibits anti-social tendencies, but her actions in the latter half of the play are unconscionable. But nothing exists in a vacuum and the reasons for her 'lack of empathy' provide illuminating psychological insights.

A parliament of owls, a kindle of kittens, a bevy of ladies, a worship of writers. The collective names for animals and types of people are fascinating and often very funny. Using this as an inspirational jumping off point, the Pensive Federation's Collective Project offers a diverse selection of humorous and thought-provoking short plays that comment – directly or indirectly – on the nature of groups.

Certain classic children’s stories automatically make one think of winter or Christmas – John Masefield’s The Box of Delights, Oscar Wilde’s The Happy Prince, and Hans Christian Anderson’s The Little Match Girl to name but a few. Using another classic Hans Christian Anderson fairy tale as a jumping off point, Theatre N16’s version of The Snow Queen – which is adapted and directed by Tatty Hennessy with co-direction by Scott Ellis – follows the familiar route of Greta making a northbound trek to try and find her missing brother Kay.

Devised by female-led Fanny Pack Theatre, and written and directed by Evi Stamatiou, Day Job is a comedy that beneath its humour has some serious comments to make about society’s relationship to work, especially if you’re a woman. Using the bus ride to/from work as a focus point, four women attempt to reconcile the practicalities of work with their long-term aspirations – or at the very least muse over the matter.

A successful playwright for the past 40 years, Bryony Lavery needs little introduction. While her plays often having underlying feminist themes and rich in female roles, Lavery's Her Aching Heart (which was originally written in 1992) is a light-hearted affair, perfect for this time of year.

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Abigail Tarttelin is a Hackney-based author. Her third novel Dead Girls will be published by Mantle on 3 May. It follows the award-winning Golden Boy, which told the story of an intersex teenager called Max. Comedian, author and broadcaster Rosie Wilby spoke to her.

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